Egypt explores Coca-Cola partnership to desalinate drainage water for irrigation

Egypt is in talks with Coca-Cola over a renewable energy-powered project to desalinate agricultural drainage water for reuse in irrigation, the irrigation ministry said Tuesday, as the country seeks to ease pressure on the Nile and strengthen water security.

Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Hany Swailem met Coca-Cola representatives on Monday to discuss the proposed project under the company’s Replenish 2.0 programme, which supports water sustainability initiatives, the ministry said.

The project will treat moderately saline agricultural drainage water and convert it into an alternative irrigation source, eliminating the need for additional Nile withdrawals.

The ministry said the project was based on several years of technical and institutional studies, including feasibility assessments carried out with international development partners and research institutions. Those studies found the project to be technically, environmentally, and economically viable, it said.

The ministry said the project builds on several years of technical and institutional studies, including a scoping study carried out with the UNDP, the AWARe Initiative, and Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC). This is in addition to a feasibility study prepared with the Centre for Applied Research on the Environment and Sustainability at the American University in Cairo. Those studies found the project to be technically, environmentally, and economically viable, the ministry said.

Swailem said the project formed part of a broader national programme to expand water reuse, develop scalable solutions for agricultural drainage water, improve water quality, and strengthen the agricultural sector’s ability to adapt to climate change and water scarcity.

“The ministry is keen to deepen cooperation with the private sector and development partners to implement projects and initiatives that improve water resource management and expand innovative solutions to water challenges,” the minister said.

Both sides agreed to continue technical and institutional discussions in the coming months to develop a partnership framework and examine financing and implementation options.

Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English